''Eupithecia nanata'', the narrow-winged pug, is a

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Geometridae The geometer moths are moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyleti ...

. The species was first described by

Jacob Hübner Jacob Hübner (20 June 1761 – 13 September 1826, in Augsburg) was a German entomologist. He was the author of ''Sammlung Europäischer Schmetterlinge'' (1796–1805), a founding work of entomology. Scientific career Hübner was the author of '' ...

in 1813. It can be found all over Europe including

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

(north to

Kola Peninsula The Kola Peninsula (; ) is a peninsula in the extreme northwest of Russia, and one of the largest peninsulas of Europe. Constituting the bulk of the territory of Murmansk Oblast, it lies almost completely inside the Arctic Circle and is border ...

) and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. In the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

it occurs up to above sea level and in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

to 2400 meters. The species prefers dry or boggy heathlands. The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

is . ''Eupithecia nanata'' is a variable species. The forewings are pointed. The ground colour of the forewings ranges from gray to brown to yellowish brown. In the midfield a contrasting dark lateral band sets itself apart: it initially runs at right angles from the costa. The black discal spot is sometimes unclear. There is a marginal white wavy line, which continues on the hindwings. These are partially paler than the forewings and have a small black discal spot. The fringes are brindled grey or brown and white. See also Prout.Vladimir Mironov: The Geometrid Moths of the World. In: Axel Hausmann (Hrsg.): ''The Geometrid Moths of Europe''. 1. Auflage. Volume 4: Larentiinae II. Perizomini and Eupitheciini. Apollo Books, Stenstrup 2003, Wikisource:The Moths of the British Isles Second Series/Chapter 9#230 The caterpillars appear in two colour variations: at the beginning of the flowering of the food plant they have an alternating greenish and reddish colour with distinct reddish diamond-like spots on the back. The lateral stripes are white and interrupted. At the main flowering time of the food plants, the caterpillars show only a reddish and violet colour spectrum and are thus visually excellently protected from predators. The moths fly from March to September depending on the location. The larvae feed on ''

Calluna ''Calluna vulgaris'', common heather, ling, or simply heather, is the sole species in the genus ''Calluna'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing evergreen shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found wide ...

'' species and sometimes ''

Achillea millefolium ''Achillea millefolium'', commonly known as yarrow () or common yarrow, is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Growing to tall, it is characterized by small whitish flowers, a tall stem of fernlike leaves, and a pungent odor. The plan ...

''.

Subspecies

*''Eupithecia nanata nanata'' *''Eupithecia nanata gelidatoides'' Warnecke, 1951

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

*''Eupithecia nanata zebrata'' Wolff, 1929

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...

*''Eupithecia nanata kozhantschikovi'' Wehrli, 1929 (raised to species status as ''

Eupithecia kozhantschikovi ''Eupithecia kozhantschikovi'' is a moth in the family Geometridae. It is found in Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, larges ...

'')

Etymology

The scientific name of the species is derived Latin ''

nanus Nanus may refer to: * Nanus (beetle), ''Nanus'' (beetle), a genus of true weevils * Susan Nanus, the scriptwriter for the 1998 ''A Will of their Own'' romantic drama TV mini-series aired on the NBC network * Fort Nanus in Goa, India * one of the m ...

'' (meaning a dwarf).

References

External links

*
''Lepiforum e.V.''''De Vlinderstichting''
nanata Moths described in 1813 Moths of Europe Moths of Asia Taxa named by Jacob Hübner {{Eupithecia-stub